OK so for part two of our Father’s Day present I decided an oldy but goody was the way to go! Painting with tape will amaze your kids and looks really neat too! As usual, a very simple activity. All you need is

Paper

Paint (you can use tempera, finger or water-color, this was with water-color)

Paint brushes

Painters Tape

Old plastic table-cloth

On your piece of paper spell out with the painters tape whatever you would like to stand out on the paper, we obviously chose dad since it’s Father’s Day, but my daughter also has one that says, Love. Now set them up on the plastic table-cloth to protect their work surface and that’s all. Set your little ones to work painting the paper (encourage them to paint the whole paper). Allow the paper to dry and when it is let them carefully peel away the tape. This totally amazed my two to see the tape had left the letters behind. Hope you have fun and enjoy your Father’s Day!

]]>https://messyplayforeveryday.wordpress.com/2013/06/15/painting-with-tape/feed/0messyplayforeveryday001My Dad…https://messyplayforeveryday.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/my-dad/
https://messyplayforeveryday.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/my-dad/#respondFri, 14 Jun 2013 22:27:08 +0000http://messyplayforeveryday.wordpress.com/?p=441]]>Father’s Day is this weekend already (yikes!) so it’s time to interview my 6 and 3 year old about their daddy. If you’ve never done this before I suggest trying it, the answers you get will be very honest and will give you a brief glimpse into your little one’s head! Here are some of the questions I ask my kiddos.

Have fun interviewing your little one, and even more fun watching their dad’s face as he reads their responses!

We are in a bit of a heat wave here, so I knew we needed something fun and cool for an activity this weekend. Enter Ice Treasures, a simple concept that will keep the kids interested and cool them off all at the same time! Here’s what you need

Ice cube trays

Water

Water friendly toys/items (beads, coins, small figures etc)

Play hammers

Fill your ice-cube trays with water and drop into each cube, one (if large) or a few (if small) of the water friendly items. Freeze over night. The next day, sit outdoors and give each of your little ones a kid friendly hammer to begin chipping the ice away to get to the treasure inside! We did this right in the grass and they had so much fun! For a little extra enjoyment you can create a large block of ice by filling a larger plastic container with the water and toys. This lasts a bit longer and takes a little more effort on the kid’s part, so gage the activity by the child’s age. Enjoy and stay cool!!

We are headed out to brunch this morning and I’m just not sure how my son is going to be. Restaurants are not really his thing and with a lot of family there I’m sure he’s going to be distracted and not want to sit and be patient. Patience for a 3 year old boy is just not heard of! I decided I needed to pull some tricks out of my hat to keep him entertained so threw some new things in the “busy bag” we bring out to eat with us. My co-workers are credited for this one (thank you Kim and Ellen!!) since they were doing this in their group the other day and I knew it was something my two would really enjoy. Here’s what you need

1/2 cup of cheap conditioner

1 cup Corn starch

Plain and simple dump the ingredients together and mix them up (really that is it, nothing complicated here!!). I will say that I added lit bits of extra corn starch to the mixture at a time until it was no longer sticky to the touch. Place it in a ziplock bag for storage (or in my case transport) and your good. I didn’t even give them tools to use like I usually do with play dough, just their bare little hands and boy did those little hands smell good after!! Hope yours enjoy it as much as my loves did!

Spring has finally sprung!! With spring comes Mother’s Day so we are beginning to get ready. We decided to create our cards today and used our fingers to make a beautiful keepsake. All you need are:

Card stock

Washable ink pads (make sure they are washable or you will have stained little fingers!!)

Markers

Little fingers!!

Give each child a piece of card stock and place the markers and ink pads in the center where everyone can share them. I demonstrated a few different ways to use fingerprints to create flowers and set them to it. When they’ve created their flower they can then use the markers to add stems, leaves and a Mother’s Day message. Enjoy!!

I’m tired today. I had a horrible night’s sleep and by mid-afternoon needed the kids to be involved in something where they weren’t fighting and I could sit back in a chair and veg-out for a while! What better than goop to keep them busy for a half hour or so! Easy and fun (though messy with little ones who don’t understand yet to keep it on the tray, thankfully mine are old enough!). Here’s your material list

Shaving Cream

Cornstarch

Bucket or tray

Warm soapy water

Towel

All you need to do to create this moldable, sticky goop is mix in the bucket or tray equal parts of the cornstarch and shaving cream (you can play with the amounts to create different textures as well). Period, nothing else, besides letting your children explore the cool texture. When they’re done they can dip their hands in the warm soapy water to scrub up and towel dry. Same for your bucket and surface, some warm soapy water and it all disappears. Hope your little ones have a blast with this!!

Easter is right around the corner (so strange in March, but oh well!) and we are pulling out our fun Easter activities. For snack today my kiddos wanted cinnamon buns, so to usher us into the Easter holiday I turned them into Cinna-Bunnies. Very easy and yummy! All you need is

Roll of Cinnamon Buns (I prefer Pillsbury)

Non stick spray

Cookie Sheet

Pop open your tube of cinnamon buns and separate them into rolls. Instead of then placing them in the pan as a roll, unroll each one into a rope. Take your rope and first break off a small piece at one of the ends and roll it into a ball (this will be the bunny’s tail), then take the rest of the rope and make a figure eight, leaving a bit of each end sticking out of the top of it. At the ends squeeze the loose pieces into a point for the bunny ears. Place the ball of dough in the bottom circle of the figure eight (this is the bunny’s butt). Place them on the cookie sheet you’ve sprayed with the non stick spray and bake according to the package. My kids really liked these and had fun using the frosting to create bunny fur on their bun. Have fun and eat up!

My daughter loves to play dress up, mostly with my clothes and shoes, but every now and then she makes a special request. We just read “Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet” so of course this meant she needed to dress like a mermaid. At first I panicked and wasn’t sure how I would go about creating a mermaid tail, for her and then I realized I was trying to make it too difficult. Here’s all you need

Bath towel

Elastics

Safety pin

Hold the towel vertically and wrap one of the short sides around you little one’s back toward their belly so the corners meet at their belly button and fasten them together with the safety-pin. At the opposite short end take each corner and wrap an elastic like your making a pony tail a few inches down each side to create the tail effect. That was it, nothing fancy, but she adored it and now keeps the towel safely tucked into her costume box! Have a great day watching you little one use their imagination!

Tomorrow, March 2nd is Dr. Seuss’ birthday!! Every year at my house we celebrate this event with a salute to this wonderful author! Usually we make a batch of Oobleck (the recipe is here under Sensory Activities), but this year I decided to add a Cat in the Hat inspired treat to the day as well. Here’s what you’ll need

Sliced Strawberries

Vanilla Yogurt

A tall clear glass ( I used a mason jar)

Spoon

With your spoon simply layer the strawberries and yogurt to create the Cat’s hat for your little ones to snack on. If you prefer a sweeter snack substitute the strawberries with red jello and the yogurt with Cool Whip. I will tell you, you’ll need a steady hand to not get it all over the inside of the glass, but really could an activity get any simpler?! Hope you enjoy Dr. Seuss’ birthday and read lots of his great works on March 2nd!!

During my son’s nap today my daughter decided she wanted to paint. When we went to get our finger paint, however, we were out! Since she really wanted to paint I decided to try a recipe for home-made finger paint I had tucked away and boy was it a hit!! She painted for over an hour and made things for everyone! Here is what you’ll need

3 Tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 cups water

saucepan

spoon

food coloring

bowls for each color

paper

newspaper

In your saucepan combine the first 4 ingredients and warm slowly until it has thickened. Pour into the bowls and let it completely cool. When it’s cool add your food coloring to create the colors you want. Cover your work surface with the newspaper and set your child up with a piece of paper to begin their work of art. I provided my daughter with sponge stamps, brushes and popsicle sticks to assist her in her exploration! Hope your little one has as much fun as mine did!!